Thursday, August 25, 2011

What if your child went missing?

"Every 40 seconds in the United States, someone’s son or daughter goes missing, but only a fraction of those children are eligible to have a traditional Amber Alert issued for them because the circumstances for their disappearance do not lead officials to believe they are in life-threatening danger among other criteria. A new technology has been developed, however, that allows parents to send out their own alert anytime their child goes missing.

SecuraChild is entirely free for parents and guardians to use. An account can be created for any child with a minimum of important identifying information including: height, weight, hair color, and eye color. A parent can include other meaningful information including medical conditions, unique and descriptive features as well as posting images, videos and other content that could be used to help find their missing child quickly. The site is fully encrypted and each account is protected to ensure the security of all information. Also, parents can choose exactly what details they want to save on the profile that they create.

If a parent’s son or daughter should ever go missing, the parent can quickly login to their account to provide basic details such as where the child was last seen, what the child was wearing, and where they may be going or ties to an area or community. SecuraChild then broadcasts the information and the child’s detailed portfolio to thousands via social networking sites, text messages and emails, creating a nearly instantaneous network of searchers.

In addition, when a missing child is reported, SecuraChild emails the parents a free PDF document that packages all of the stored information on the missing child. Parents can provide this document to law enforcement to expedite the process of registering their missing child with local law enforcement and the issuance of a traditional Amber Alert."  (All above is from the press release).

SecuraChild is extremely easy (and free!) to sign up.  I definitely recommend doing it!  Like said above, if your child goes missing it may be hard to recall some important details.  SecuraChild remembers them for you!

Can a necklace really help reflux?

Since having LB, I feel like my life has turned into a whirlwind of craziness!  Do any of you ever feel that way?  It seems like we're always going somewhere or doing something...and when I am home I'm trying to wash the ever-growing dishes and laundry.  I have so many things I have been reviewing (including several books), and I have been wanting to share them all with you, but I haven't had any time to sit down and think (and I want you to be able to understand my reviews haha). 

What I want to talk about today is laundry...I know, boring stuff!  Seriously though, since LB was born my laundry pile is crazy!  It is always a huge pile, and it's not just because she likes to be held.  It's because she has reflux. And spits up. A ton!  It's bad when you have to give a disclaimer before you let someone hold your child, but anytime someone wants to hold her I feel like I need to tell them she's probably going to cover them in spit up. And she almost always does.  Having a reflux baby is no fun...the laundry is crazy, but a lot of times she just seems uncomfortable.  She has been on Prilosec and Zantac, but neither seem to make her feel much better, and I just felt sorry for her...so I started looking for another solution.

Several moms suggested a Hazelwood necklace from Inspired By Finn.  I know what you're thinking.  How can a necklace help reflux?  I thought the same thing, so I started reading about it.  The Hazelwood actually soaks up the excess acid in the body.  It can relieve many acid-related ailments such as acid reflux, ulcers, heartburn, and other acid-related ailments. They can also take the edge off of heartburn and morning sickness during pregnancy.  Hazel wood also helps relieve skin problems such as (psoriasis, eczema, acne, and diaper rash) constipation, headaches, migraines, canker sores, and the occurrence of dental cavities when these ailments are related to excessive acid in the body (and sometimes they are not).  The necklaces do not contain chemical or any medicines, it is just Hazelwood (well, ours has pearl accent beads).

I was very intrigued after reading about them, so I ordered one. The youth necklaces are about $30, which I thought was a great price if it would work.  I waited impatiently to get it in, and she has been wearing it ever since.  We're on month 2 now, and I have definitely noticed a difference!  She doesn't spit up nearly as much!  She does still spit up some, but everyone that was around her before the necklace can definitely see there is a difference.  I have had so many people tell me how cute her necklace is, and when I go on to tell them what it does, they are always amazed!  If you or your child has reflux problems, I would definitely recommend this necklace!

Here is a picture of LB in her necklace

Be sure to check out Inspired By Finn on Facebook and tell her So Mommy sent you!
Look for a review of the Amber necklace for pain coming soon!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Paradise Valley


I recently received "Paradise Valley" by Dale Cramer from Bethany House Publishing.  While I received the book free, the opinions below are my own. 

Summary from CBD.com:
An Amish settlement in Ohio has run afoul of a law requiring their children to attend public school. Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested for neglect, with the state ordering the children be placed in an institution. Among them are Caleb's teenage daughter, Rachel, and the boy she has her eye on, Jake Weaver. Romance blooms between the two when Rachel helps Jake escape the children's home.
Searching for a place to relocate his family where no such laws apply, Caleb learns there's inexpensive land for sale in Mexico, a place called Paradise Valley. Despite rumors of instability in the wake of the Mexican revolution, the Amish community decides this is their answer. And since it was Caleb's idea, he and his family will be the pioneers. They will send for the others once he's established a foothold and assessed the situation.
My Review:
Before this book, I wasn't a huge fan of Amish fiction.  I liked to read them, but they weren't my favorite.  Dale Cramer did a wonderful job writing "Paradise Valley."  I didn't want to stop reading until the end!  My family has moved a lot since I was younger, so I completely sympathized with the daughters during the move.  While my moves were never this drastic, it was always hard to leave friends.  When daughter Rachel found out she was leaving her first love, she was very upset.  Another unmarried daughter feared she would never marry because they were leaving all of her potential 'mates'.  This family showed how important it is to stick together in these hard times.  When they were feeling down, another family member would be there for them.  There were many dangers awaiting the family in Paradise Valley, but thanks to "Gott" (God) they found help when they needed it.  I really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to read more by this author!

The Lady of Bolton Hill

 
I received "The lady of Bolton Hill" by Elizabeth Camden from Bethany House Publishing.  No other compensation was received, and the review is my own opinion.

Brief synopsis from CBD.com:
"Female journalists are rare in 1879, but American-born Clara Endicott has finally made a name for herself with her provocative articles championing London's poor. When the backlash from her work forces a return home to Baltimore, Clara finds herself face-to-face with a childhood sweetheart who is no longer the impoverished factory worker she once knew. In her absence, Daniel Tremain has become a powerful industry giant and Clara finds him as enigmatic as ever. However, Daniel's success is fueled by resentment from past wounds and Clara's deeply-held beliefs about God's grace force Daniel to confront his own motives. When Clara's very life is endangered by one of Daniel's adversaries, they must face a reckoning neither of them ever could have foreseen."
My Review
This book shows a women who knows her purpose in life and wants to follow God to get there.  It was nice to read a book about a women "back in the day" going after what she wanted, no matter the cost (even getting thrown in jail).  She also shows unmarried girls that you don't have to settle for a guy if he isn't what God wants you to have.  Clara knew she couldn't marry Daniel if he didn't share her beliefs, and she told him as much.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  It isn't an extremely exciting thriller or anything, but it was definitely a good read complete with fights, theives, and plots to kill!